This invention pertains to computer systems and other information handling systems and, more particularly, to a computer system which is built on a trusted platform such as the TCPA industry standard platform.
There is a need in the computer industry to raise the level of confidence with which users run applications and perform network transactions. This is particularly true for electronic commerce transactions where users key in credit card and other sensitive information. Several solutions have emerged in the industry. One solution, the Smart Card, has emerged as a standard for raising the level of confidence by providing hardware which establishes a trusted user. In the Smart Card solution, the computer system is not the trusted entity. Rather, it is the smart card hardware which is the trusted entity and which is associated with a particular user. Another solution, the Trusted Computing Platform, has emerged as a standard for raising the level of confidence by providing hardware which establishes a trusted platform. With the trusted platform the user is not the trusted entity. Rather, it is the platform which is trusted.
Modern computer systems provide remote power-on capability. For example, the computer can be powered on when the RING signal from an incoming FAX is detected at the computer's modem. The computer can then power-on, boot, and receive the incoming fax. Likewise, the computer can be powered on when local area network activity is detected at its LAN card; it can then boot and respond to any local area network requests. Computers with this capability, however, are particularly at risk while unattended because they are vulnerable to attacks even if they are powered off.